Secret Love
by NettieC
Summary: A oneshot fic inspired by Doris Day's Secret Love. E&O of course, wouldn't be any other point to writing it for Valentine's Day. Read and enjoy.


_\_**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. Not SVU, not the song, not the poem. Nada!**

_Inspired By_

_The song_

_Secret Love performed by Doris Day_

_and Poem_

_Eternal Soul mates_

_by Lisa Teller_

Once I had a secret love  
That lived within the heart of me  
All too soon my secret love  
Became impatient to be free

So I told the friendly star  
The way that dreamers often do  
Just how wonderful you are  
And why I'm so in love with you

Now I should it from the highest hills  
Even told the golden daffodils  
At last my heart's an open door  
And my secret love's no secret anymore

-----------------------------------Secret Love-----------------------------------

The bullpen was unusually quiet for a late Thursday afternoon and that was with all five detectives at their desks. Drowning in paperwork, each one of them had a desire to flee the precinct but as it was Valentine's Day and none had plans with any significant other, they continued to work away on the pretext of being dutiful.

Their silence was disturbed by Don leaving his office, calling it quits for the day.  
"Hot date?" asked Fin, eyeing his boss.

"That's no concern of yours, Tutuola," Don replied dryly but his slight smile gave him away.

"Anyone we know?" asked Munch, leaning back in his chair.

"Good night, people," Don said, and headed to the elevator. As soon as he was inside, Munch stood up.

"Any ideas, guys?" he asked, moving towards Olivia and Elliot's desks.

"Nope," replied Elliot as Fin shrugged.

"I'd be the last to know," remarked Lake, and they all nodded in agreement. Olivia's silence drew more attention than had she spoke. She looked up from her desk to see she was the focus of all four men.

"What?" she asked.

"You haven't said anything, Liv," said Fin.

"You know something?" asked Munch.

"Why would I know something?" she countered.

"Why are you answering a question with a question?" asked Lake. Olivia silenced him with a look.

"So Olivia, do you know who Don's date is with?" Elliot finally asked.

She sighed deeply. "Yep," she said slowly – she knew and she also knew she wasn't in a position to disclose anything.

"Well?" Fin and Lake asked in unison as she felt her body being pierced by four pairs of eyes.

Deciding to end the inquest, she stood and grabbed her things. It was Valentine's Day, why shouldn't she have some love of her own – and she loved nothing more than to wind these four up – especially Elliot.

"Do you really want to know?" she asked. They nodded eagerly. "Well, the hot date…it's with me." She turned and walked away leaving a stunned and staggered bullpen behind. As soon as the elevator doors closed she leant against the wall and laughed so hard she nearly wet herself. By the time the doors open she had composed herself somewhat and shook her head; Casey and Don had better appreciate what she was doing to protect their secret.

Home early, with Chinese already ordered, her Love Actually DVD at the ready, Olivia opened the door with money in hand to pay the delivery guy. Elliot grinned when he took in her low riding grey sweats, and pale pink cami which revealed more flesh than he'd seen in a while.

"You always open the door looking like that?" Elliot asked, moving into her apartment.

"Nope, but it's Valentine's Day – thought I'd brighten up the delivery guy's night," she replied, closing the door behind him. She watched Elliot intently as he scanned the apartment. "Watcha doing?"

"Nothing, nothing," he replied, rapidly turning his attention back to her.

"Really?" she asked, "looked like you were checking out the place."

"No, just seeing if you've changed anything since I was here last," he replied, making himself comfortable on the sofa.

Olivia went to comment but her buzzer rang again and this time it was dinner. She paid the man and brought the bag back to the coffee table.

"What did you order?" he asked as she pulled out three different boxes.

"Our usual," she replied, a grin on her face as she handed him his favourite, Kung Pow chicken.

"Oh really? And how did you know I'd be by?" he asked, grabbing the chopsticks from her.

"Because I knew something you didn't and while you knew Don's date wasn't with me, you had to come over to check it out for yourself, just to be sure," she replied casually and watched as his face coloured slightly. She'd read him like a book.

"So," he began quickly, trying to deflect the attention from himself. "Is Casey Don's hot date then?"

"Nope, Stabler, not going to tell you about Don's secret love or anybody else's for that matter," she said, taking another prawn cracker.

"Anybody else's??? Who else has a secret love?" he asked, his eyes widening slightly. "Liv?" He watched as she became more uncomfortable. "Olivia?" She shook her head and didn't make eye contact with him – that would give it all away.

Elliot wasn't going to play this game with her anymore. They had been much closer of late but every time he thought things were in a good place, Olivia would back away and they'd drift back to just being partners rather than friends. He had begun to suspect there may be someone else…someone she wasn't willing to acknowledge publicly. He knew for sure it wasn't Don, they were both in the car when they saw Don kiss Casey goodbye as they past her apartment block heading to an early morning call out. But all signs were indicating she had someone…and he needed to know who…and he needed to know now.

He placed his dinner back on the table, moved next to her on the sofa and took her dinner from her. She went to protest but he cut her off by placing his finger on her lips.

"Olivia," he said quietly. "Are you in love with someone?" She began to shake her head no but his eyes locked with hers and slowly the shake turned to a nod.

"Are you going to tell me who?" he asked, a desperate tone in his voice. She shook her head again. "Why not?"

"Because I don't think you'd understand," she replied.

"What wouldn't I understand, Liv?" he asked gently.

"Um…I don't think you'd understand just how much I love him, how much I need him," she sighed deeply. "And um…I don't think you'd understand just how it hurts to…" Her voice trailed as her eyes filled with tears.

Elliot took her hands in his. "Liv…finish your sentence." She shook her head again.

"Liv, does he know how you feel? Have you told him?"

"No," she whispered. "I doubt he feels the same what and it would hurt too much to know that."

"How long have you felt this way about him?" he asked.

"Ohh, a while now," she replied, feeling embarrassed by the conversation. Elliot wracked his brain to come up with someone, anyone, who his partner could have fallen in love with. He could come up with only one option – Dean Porter. Porter had been in town frequently over the last three months and he knew Olivia had seen him on every occasion. He didn't want to imagine the two of them together, in fact he didn't want to think of Olivia with anybody…well, to be honest, anybody except himself.

He set his jaw, gritted his teeth and knew he'd have to ask. It would kill him to hear the answer but it would kill him not to ask – it was a no win situation.

"Liv," he started slowly. "The guy you're in love with, please tell me it's not Porter." _Please, please, please, please, PLEASE not Porter, not Porter PLEASE, _his brain silently pleaded. He saw her mouth move in response and her looking at him expectantly but his own words were ringing in his ears and he hadn't heard her at all. Her eyes clouded over with pain and she dropped her head.

"Hey, hey, Liv," he whispered, raising her face up again. "Say that again?"

"I said it's not Porter," she replied, "it's you."

"It's you," he repeated, his brain not quite comprehending. "You mean it's me?" She nodded and dropped her head. "I'm your secret love?"

"Yep," she replied quietly.

"God, Olivia," he mumbled. "I…I…god." Olivia went to get up but he pulled her back.

"See Elliot…this is why I was never…" she began but the sentence was too painful to finish.

"Liv, Olivia, just so you're clear, I understand…I _really_ understand," he said gently, before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a Valentine's card. "I was in the store looking for a birthday card for Mo and I got drawn to this…" He tapped the envelope. "When I read the words you were all I could think of…you are all I ever think of." He handed it to her and watched as she removed the card and read the verse on the front:

You are the one,  
with whom I'm destined to be,  
across space and time,  
you are drawn to me,

One love, one life, we are destined to be,  
soul mates forever throughout eternity,  
In past lives I have loved you,  
In this life I love you too,

And I know if I shall live again,  
I am destined to love you,  
across space and time, you are drawn to me,  
One love, one life, we are destined to be,

Soul mates forever throughout eternity,  
I know I'll always find you where ever you are,  
No matter the consequence,  
No matter how far,

Even in death I shall love you more,  
to fuel my search to find you,  
so we shall love once more,  
across space and time, you are drawn to me

One love, one life, we are destined to be,  
Soul mates forever throughout eternity.

He reached in to brush away the gentle trickle of tears from her cheeks as she read the card. She opened it up and read his recognisable scrawl.

_Olivia,_

_I love you,_

_Elliot_

As she closed her card, the tears cascaded.

"Hey, Liv," he whispered. He moved to embrace her but was surprised when she shrugged out of his grasp and headed to her home office. He followed her and watched as she picked up a red envelope and turned to him. Without a word she handed it to him. Before the card was out of the envelope he recognised it as identical to the one he had just given her – a sign of their connection. Slowly he opened it and saw her familiar handwriting.

_Elliot,_

_I love you,_

_Olivia _

They were truly soul mates.

"So," he said, as he leant against the door jamb.

"So," she said, leaning against the desk.

"You love me," he said, not able to hide his grin.

"You love me," she replied.

"And I love you," he continued.

"And I love you," she added.

"So," he sighed.

"So indeed."

It was Elliot who couldn't handle the distance between them anymore. He pushed himself off the door jamb and crossed the floor to her. He wanted to take this slowly, but he needed to touch her, feel her, kiss her. He stood still an instant too long and Olivia threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with such passion they both ended up on the floor.

They celebrated Valentine's Day and their newly declared love several times that night but they never once made it to the bedroom.


End file.
